A Mississippi Cacher that many of you may have met at events in LA passed away over the weekend. He had just completed his 5000th cache recently and was working on the Louisiana Parish challenge when he died. Here is a copy of the notification from his daughter, Butrflybec, and son-in-law, DavidMac that was posted on the North Louisiana Geocaching site:

"I have some very heartbreaking news to fill you guys in on. I got a call tonight from an officer in Assumption Parish, LA saying they found my dad, Billy Harding, aka TrkDoc in his truck deceased. So far they say it looks to be natural causes, but we'll know more tomorrow after the autopsy. The officer said that his jeans were wet up to his knees and he seemed to be playing some kind of "gps game".

I know he really enjoyed you guys and had so many wonderful adventures over the last few years while he was geocaching. I guess it only makes sense that he should depart while out on a great geocaching hunt. He was trying so hard to finish up that Louisiana Parish Challenge. The King of the Challenges...

I just ask that you guys lift me and my family up in prayer as I have to be the "adult" and get through this. He was a great man, and a wonderful daddy...I'm really going to miss him."

AR-HICK

12-15-2009, 11:05 AM

It is said to hear of this, but I must say that I cannot think of a better way to leave this world than doing what you love. In my opinion that would be the one of best ways leave this earth. I can think of far worse things that could happen. My sympathy goes out to his family.

arkfiremedic

12-15-2009, 12:40 PM

My thoughts exactly HICK. I only had the privilege of meeting him a few times and he made a big dent and 2ter and my caches only last month. His daughter and son-in-law are also big into caching and I'm sure in time it will bring peace to them knowing he was doing what he obviously loved.

Woodwalker9

12-15-2009, 02:27 PM

This is terrible news. I have known Billy for about 3 years now and considered him a friend. He will certainly be missed.

My prayers go out for his daughter, son-in-law, and the rest of his family.

QuartzCachers

12-15-2009, 05:31 PM

This is sad news. I only met Mr. Harding one time, but I sought him out at the Fired Up For Geocaching event last August. He had written a log on an Allenearl cache, that I thought was too funny, and I knew just how he felt. It was on a cache called Holy Land, and anybody who hunted for this cache early on, knows why it was so frustrating. The coords have now been changed, and it is a PNG, but when it was first published, we didn't know that sometimes to find an AE cache, you had to look on the other side of the road. I copied it to post here, so that others could get a chuckle too.

:) August 30, 2008 by TrkDoc (5054 found)
I went to GZ first, why I don't know, but as I was walking back to my truck I saw the perfect spot and sho-nuff it was there. TFTC S/L

Not too fancy, but as I said, I got enough of a kick out of it to look him up and tell him that I laughed out loud at it. Glad I did.